The toll-funded Svinesundsforbindelsen compound had 8.2 million passages in 2017. In total, almost NOK 200 million of the company’s loan debt was paid down last year.
Svinesundforbindelsen AS had an operating profit of NOK 172 million, and now has a total loan debt of NOK 339 million.
In 2017, some 196 million of the company’s loans were paid down, and if today’s traffic and finance conditions remain unchanged, the repayment will be completed by 2021 and all passages will then be free.
Of all the passages in 2017, 90.5% were light vehicles, while 9.5% were heavy traffic. Traffic growth was 2% from 2016.
The company slowed operating costs by NOK 10.8 million in 2017 compared with the previous year, primarily due to the high costs in 2016 for conversion to automatic toll.
The road project is divided between Norway and Sweden, and extends from Nordby on the Swedish side of the border to Svingenskogen in Norway. There are two kilometres of motorway on the Swedish side and four kilometres in Norway.
Tolls are required for both the old and the new Svinesund bridge. The old was opened in 1946, while the new was opened in 2005. The collection of toll will cease when the loan debt in both countries has been repaid.
© NTB scanpix / #Norway Today